Aches and Pains
by Eosophobia-3
Summary: A series of oneshots of the brothers being injured/ill. Mainly fluff that I needed to get off my chest. Reviews make me write faster!
1. Littlest Tracy

**Just a few oneshots of the boys being injured/ill.**

 **Set in the 2015 universe!**

 **Some are based on an ask I got and replied to on my Thunderbirds art blog:** **post/118692326198/have-any-of-you-been-seriously-injured-on-a**

 **Littlest Tracy**

"He's dead!"

The loud proclamation echoed from the youngest brother's room into the hallway where Grandma Tracy just happened to be sorting laundry. She swiftly dropped the bundle of clothes she'd been carrying and barged into Alan's room, fearing the worst. The small blond teen was lying on his stomach on the floor, feet swinging absently in the air as he frantically smashed buttons on his controller which was making a holographic man swing an axe at 3D zombies. Unfortunately, the man's head was missing, much to Alan's horror.

"Alan!"

His grandmother's voice could often be one of a soothing nature but, when necessary, she could rattle his teeth with her chastising tones. This was one of those times. He dropped the controller, causing the hologram to shimmer and flicker off, and sat upright, prepared for punishment. Although for what crime he couldn't quite remember. The older lady straightened her purple spectacles and folded her arms tight across her chest.

"I thought someone had actually died!" she sighed and rolled her pale eyes, "Well, anyway, go and get some fresh air will you, boy. If you get any paler I'll be able to see through you!"

With only slight protest, Alan trudged outside, squinting his eyes at the harsh sunlight beaming down on him. It was _always_ glorious weather on Tracy Island and he sometimes wished he could stay on the mainland for a while just to experience the changing seasons. He'd heard that the autumn leaves were especially beautiful. Not one to linger on the negatives, however, Alan chose a sun lounger by the pool and decided to bask for a while, Grandma Tracy had not been lying when she said he was pale.

The warmth of the sunlight felt good on his skin and he was just debating whether or not to grab a cool drink and possibly some sun cream - his ears were turning the same shade as his 'bird - when his serenity was disrupted by the fish of the family. Gordon dived into the pool, making sure to splash his little brother with as much water as possible, grinning when Alan jerked upright.

"Ha ha, very funny."

Ringing out his t-shirt, the youngest Tracy decided to leave Squid-Boy to his swimming and try and make himself useful. He'd already cleaned Thunderbird 3 the previous day but he guessed there was no harm getting in his brothers' good books. Maybe if he washed down some of the other crafts they'd realise he was actually quite responsible and let him in on some of the more exciting rescues. He knew he wasn't respected any _less_ than his brothers but he did know that Scott still liked to mollycoddle him and try to keep him 'safe' when it came to risky missions. Ever since their father's disappearance the eldest Tracy brother had taken on the role and, although he was doing a grand job of it indeed, he _did_ tend to smother at times. Hence his nickname – Smother Hen.

Once inside the hangar, Alan immediately decided that cleaning Thunderbird 4 was out of the question, Gordon had it locked away tightly in its pod. Thunderbird 2, however, was much more obtainable and seemed to only need a quick once over with the hose. He'd watched Virgil clean the 'bird hundreds of times and knew that his burly brother liked nothing more than seeing her sparkling and ready to go and so set to work immediately, a broad smile on his freckled face.

About ten minutes into hosing down the huge machine, Alan knew he was doing something wrong. In order to reach the top of the craft he'd had to climb on top and was now holding the hose as water gushed down onto the green surface, making the very surface he was standing on _extremely_ slippery. He was certain he'd seen Virgil using the hose like this, though, and couldn't quite understand what he was doing differently. His older brother certainly didn't slip and slide when he washed it down, not like Alan was currently doing. His feet kept sliding from under him and as he added soap he felt instant regret as the suds seemed to surround him. Flopping around like a stranded seal, Alan slid onto his side with a _thud_ and dropped the hose which started flailing wildly, drenching him in cold water. He felt like an idiot as he scrambled madly, trying to get some sort of leverage to get himself back on his feet. His efforts were futile and, as the hose sprayed him once more, he slid further down the side of the 'bird.

Panic overtook him as he was no longer just stupid, he was in danger! The top of the craft was a good sixty feet off the ground and Alan was swiftly sliding off of it with nothing to grasp or prevent him from falling. His hands scrambled frantically for something to cling to but the soap suds made everything slick, like trying to grab butter. As his fingers slipped from the green vehicle and he lost all traction with Thunderbird 2, he quickly tapped the communication device on his wrist and yelled an incoherent bark at whoever was listening as he fell through the air towards the hangar floor.

* * *

Virgil was working on one of his sketches on the beach when John's face suddenly appeared at his wrist like a ghostly apparition. The dark-haired brother almost put his pencil through the canvas, he'd been so absorbed in his task that the sight of his brother startled him.

"John! Almost gave me a heart attack. What's up?"

"Have you seen Alan?"

Virgil's eyebrows knitted together at the odd question,

"He was around earlier, why?"

John's holographic image showed his trademark 'thinking face' before he spoke.

"He sent a weird message a few moments ago."

"He _always_ sends weird messages, nothing new there."

"No, this was… _different._ "

The redhead folded his arms and waited for Virgil to acknowledge his worries, which only took a moment. When John thought something wasn't quite the norm, he was usually right. Virgil sighed loudly and left his drawing, turning back towards the house.

"Okay, where is he now?"

A pause.

"His communicator has him located in Thunderbird 2's hangar."

A sea of emotions seemed to flicker across Virgil's face: confusion, annoyance, worry.

"That brat, he better not be messing with my 'bird!"

John tried to keep the laughter from his voice, "Keep me posted."

Stomping into the hangar, Virgil glanced around like a predator looking for his next meal. If there was one thing his brothers knew it was _not_ to mess with TB2, his precious craft, and if they did they would face the wrath of the biggest member of International Rescue. The hose was still flopping about like a decapitated snake, water splashing in puddles around the Thunderbird, and Virgil's annoyance only started to rise higher as he absorbed the sight of his soap-covered baby.

"Alan! You in here?! I'm going to-"

His voice seeped away in a gasp as he noticed a pale hand peeking around the opposite side of his 'bird, behind one of the struts. Within seconds, Virgil has scurried around and was crouching beside his youngest brother, who was unconscious and drenched through to the skin. Alan looked even smaller in his damp clothes, a pitiful expression on his pale face, and it took all of Virgil's inner strength not to grab him and try to shake him awake. He looked like he'd had a bump on the head and his left leg was jutting out at an odd angle, possibly broken. Being the trained medic of the team, Virgil put on his 'nurse' cap and used his large hands to try and find any broken bones or fractures. The twisted leg seemed to be the main problem but the fact that Alan was unconscious and sporting a rather nasty bruise on his noggin had Virgil's heartbeat increasing by the second.

"Alan? Allie, wake up, bro."

Virgil tapped his wrist and John popped up again, this time immediately absorbing the look of concern on his brother's face.

"I found him," Virgil swallowed hard and tried to control his shaking voice, "He's unconscious. What the hell was he doing?!"

"Probably trying to impress his big brothers," John rolled his eyes and forced Virgil's attention back to Alan, "Is he okay?"

"He should be. But it looks like this leg's broken. I think he _fell_!"

John shook his head, "I'll inform Scott, you take care of our little brother."

Thunderbird 5's pilot blipped out of sight and Virgil scooped Alan up in his strong arms. He weighed even less than he thought he would and reminded Virgil of himself when he was younger, when his father would carry him to bed when he was tired. Now was not the time for reminiscing, however, and so Virgil swiftly made his way out of the hangar and into the glaring sunlight.

He quickly made his way back to the house, passing Gordon in the pool whose face blanched when he saw his unconscious brother. He scrambled to get out, not even bothering to grab his towel. Water dripped off his garish trunks as he caught up to his brothers.

"Virg? What happened?!"

He followed him into the house, hands awkwardly hovering over Alan's unconscious body. He was great when it came to rescues and wisecracks but injured siblings? No way.

"I think he slipped off TB2," Virgil replied curtly, eyes focused ahead.

"What was he doing on her? Has he hit his head? Will he be okay? His leg looks wrong, Virg, I-"

"Alright! I know!" Big brown eyes turned to Gordon, "Sorry. I just need to check he's okay."

Gordon nodded and kept silent. He knew when Virgil was in full 'nurse' mode he shouldn't disturb him.

The rocking motion of Virgil walking back to the house stirred Alan from his unconsciousness and he blinked slowly up at him, a confused expression on his young face.

"Virg? Did I clean her okay?"

Virgil smiled and his shoulders visibly relaxed at the sight of his brother's open eyes.

"Sure, little brother, she's super clean."

The blond smiled but it disappeared as quickly as it had come as a shooting pain shot through his leg, like broken glass was inside his shin, grinding and slicing with each step Virgil took. Alan winced and tried to grab his leg but Virgil held his hands back before placing him on the silver table in the medical suite. The youngest Tracy hadn't even realised they were inside the house, all thoughts focused on his aching leg, and he jumped slightly when he felt the cold metal against his skin.

"My leg-" Alan's fists balled at his sides as he lay on the table, "It _hurts_ , Virg!"

"I know. Now keep still."

"Virgil's gonna fix you up, bro," Gordon dragged a hand through his wet hair and stepped back, giving Virgil more room to care for their little brother.

Alan was shivering uncontrollably, not only because he was soaked in cold water but also because of the pain emanating from his leg. His teeth chattered and when Virgil began to cut away his jeans, he almost bit his tongue off with the sudden jolt of heat that seemed to slice through his leg.

"You're cutting my leg off!"

Virgil scoffed, "I'm just cutting away your pants so I can see the damage!"

"Ow! Stop it!" Alan tried to kick Virgil away, resulting in another stab of pain and a grunt of annoyance from his big brother.

Long fingers carefully pulled away the torn denim revealing a purple and yellow bruised shin and a large lump where it should have been smooth. As gently as he could, Virgil used his fingertips to press against the lump, it was hard and slightly jagged. Bone. And certainly not where the bone should have been. It was definitely broken and would need a cast on for a good few weeks.

"Gross," the aquanaut grinned, showing his pearly whites as he pressed his fist to Alan's damp cheek, which felt a little too warm.

"Shut up, Fish," Alan retorted. A broken bone wasn't enough to quell his camaraderie with his closest brother.

Virgil was just thinking of the best way to break the bad news to his brother that he would be out of service for at least a month when Alan seemed to rock slightly and flopped backwards onto the table. If it hadn't been for Virgil's fast reflexes, he would have certainly had another bump on his head.

"Virg?!" Gordon's eyes were huge, like discs spinning in his head.

"I think he just passed out from the pain," Virgil was calm as he flicked a syringe and plunged it into Alan's pale arm. He hoped the pain relief would kick in before Scott decided to return, a smothering eldest brother was all they needed right now.

Of course wishful thinking was all that was and Scott's tall frame was suddenly in the doorway, ready to commence smothering and probably some reprimanding in Virgil's case. The eldest Tracy marched over to his brothers, thick eyebrows tilted upwards in concern, and placed his gloved hand on Alan's shoulder. He reminded Gordon so much of their father in that moment that it brought a lump to his throat and it was only when Scott turned to Virgil, eyes blazing with blame, that Thunderbird 4's pilot was brought back to the present.

Scott poked a long finger into Virgil's chest, "You were supposed to be looking out for him! What were you doing?!"

"He went into the hangar, I didn't kno-"

"And now he's _injured_!" Scott threw his arms up, exasperated.

"It's not Virgil's fault!" Gordon had moved to stand between Alan and his arguing brothers, something he'd done numerous times when they were younger to shield Alan from their arguments, "Alan went off on his own!"

Before Scott could continue his barrage of blame, Alan's baby blues fluttered open and he pushed himself upright on his elbows.

"Don't fight guys."

Smother Hen pushed Gordon aside and leaned over Alan as though checking for any more damage. Once he was sure the only problem was the leg his look of concern changed to one of anger and Alan winced internally, prepared for whatever onslaught he was about to receive.

"What were you doing in the hangar? You know you don't go in alone, Al." Scott's tone was one of relief rather than annoyance. He was just happy that his brother was in one piece, well one _broken_ piece but all there nonetheless.

"I wanted to clean Thunderbird 2 to show you guys I'm responsible…" Alan's cheeks pinked slightly and his lips pressed into a thin line, "Guess that didn't go as planned."

Scott perched his behind on the table and ruffled Alan's blond hair, "We _know_ you're responsible, dummy. Why else would we put you in charge of a rocket ship?!"

"Good point."

"Okay, okay, that's enough of this mushy business," Virgil shooed his brothers away, "I'll set this broken leg and one of you two can tell Grandma about this."

Scott and Gordon's faces fell at the thought of telling Grandma Tracy about Alan's accident. She tended to want to cook for them when they were injured or sick, which was a sure fire way to _keep_ them that way. Before he left, however, Scott popped his head back into the medical suite, a sly grin on his dimpled face.

"Oh by the way, Virg, when I set down TB1 I noticed a scratch on the side of 2. Alan must have done it when he fell."

Scott skipped down the hallway to catch up to Gordon and they listened to the pained yelp of Alan as Virgil set his broken leg with a _little_ more force than necessary. _No one_ messed with his precious 'bird.


	2. Sting in the Tale

**Sting in the Tale**

Heat. Heat from the glaring sun that currently bore down on Tracy Island. It was almost midday and the temperature had risen tenfold since the five brothers had decided to head down to the beach. It was one of the rare occasions when all of the brothers were together for something other than a rescue mission.

John had left EOS in charge of Thunderbird 5 the previous day and was enjoying some quality time with his family. He wasn't exactly a 'people person' but, in moderation, he liked to enjoy the company of his brothers when he could. As all had been quiet on the rescue front, he'd decided a few days on Earth would be good for him, a decision he was currently questioning as he lay on the towel in the scorching heat and started to simmer.

Alan had been whining about wanting to play beach volleyball but Scott was enjoying taking time out to read under the huge beach umbrella and Virgil was painting over by the rock pools, not wanting to miss an opportunity to capture the tiny creatures scuttling and swimming in the sunlight. Gordon, ever the fish of the family, dragged the youngest Tracy into the sea on the promise of playing volleyball 'later', although how _much_ later he didn't say. Alan would be lucky if it was later that _year_. They splashed around for a while, ducking and diving under the shimmering waves only to reappear in a different spot; it was making John tired just _watching_ them and he could feel the warm blanket of sleep wrapping around his shoulders as his head flopped back.

Around twenty minutes later, Scott decided it was time for lunch and ducked out of the shade of the parasol to shout the terrible twins back in from the water. Even from so far away, the eldest could see the protesting pout on Alan's freckled face as he was told to come in. The young blonde may be mature in a lot of ways but he still had his childish moments when he wanted to.

Virgil had packed away his easel and exchanged a silent look with Scott before diving into the sea like a wrecking ball and charging towards the pouting Alan. The youngster's face dropped and he started splashing frantically in an attempt to get back to the beach before Virgil could catch him because he was sure to be noogied if he was caught, _not_ something he enjoyed, especially from his biggest brother. In all his panic he crashed into Gordon, pushing the Squid underwater head first for a brief moment. Gordon resurfaced spluttering and ready to retaliate but Alan was already back to the beach, sheer fear of Virgil's knuckles having given him super-speed.

Scott threw Alan a towel but the blonde simply shook himself like a dog, soaking John in the process and waking the astronaut up with a jolt. The redhead flailed for a moment, preparing to float into some part of Thunderbird 5 until he realised he wasn't in zero gravity and was very much grounded. Trying to hold in his laughter, Scott offered the towel to John and slapped Alan across the back of his shaggy head. Virgil emerged from the sea like someone from Baywatch, his tanned skin shimmering in the sunlight. His image was only tainted when he dived on Alan and started wrestling him in the pale sand.

"Gordon! Come on, we're having chicken salad!" Scott yelled towards the smudge of brassy blonde hair bobbing along in the waves.

"Come on," Virgil brushed himself down as he stood up, "He'll catch up. You know what it's like trying to drag him out of the water."

The eldest brother rolled his blue eyes and waved an arm towards the house, "You three go, I'll fetch the Squid."

As Scott entered the water and began to swim casually towards Gordon, he immediately knew something wasn't quite right. Usually when Gordon was in the water he was doing one of two things: swimming lengths at an incredible speed or diving as deep as he could and reappearing in another place. Right now, however, he was splashing awkwardly and waving his arm around like a man possessed. Alarm bells rang in Scott's head as he quickly swam over to his brother and, as he got closer, he could see the slight panic in his eyes.

"Gordon! What're you doing?"

"I think-" his head was submerged for a moment and he spluttered, "I think something _bit_ me!" His face was contorted into one of pain and his eyes were scrunched tightly shut like he was trying to hide it.

He tried to raise his right arm towards Scott but that just made him sink once more. Scott grabbed his brother and started to pull him towards the beach, Gordon like an unruly fish that had been caught in a net as he continued to flail awkwardly. Scott tried to look Gordon over as he pulled him through the water but it was difficult to get a good look at him through the splashing. Had he really been bitten? If so, by what exactly? A fish? Something bigger? Thoughts of a shark stalking them suddenly flashed through Scott's mind and he swam a little faster towards the shore.

As they'd taken longer than expected, Virgil had returned to the beach to see what the hold up was. When he saw Scott dragging Gordon through the shallow water he dashed towards them, brown eyes filled with worry.

"What's wrong?!"

Scott pulled his little brother through the water but Gordon's entire right side seemed to be dragging, making him a dead weight and too heavy for the slender Tracy to keep hold. Luckily, Virgil had no such struggles and scooped Gordon up like a bride before carrying him onto the beach and laying him in the warm sand. He looked him over quickly, nurse-mode kicking in immediately. Gordon squirmed and hissed through his teeth as Virgil examined his right arm and leg, big brown eyes wide with pain.

"What is it?" Scott was kneeling beside Gordon, one hand hovering over him uselessly.

"Did something bite me?!" the Squid looked panicked, an almost comical look on his usually suave face, "Did it eat my foot?!"

Virgil grinned and shook his head, "No, idiot. You were stung."

"Stung?" Scott's dark brows raised as he glanced at the red scribble-like marks entwining around Gordon's right arm and leg, "Oh!"

Gordon was unconsciously scratching his arm where the red marks were swelling slightly and winced as Virgil grabbed his leg to examine more closely. It looked like someone had drawn tentacles in red ink around the aquanaut's right thigh and arm and it was swelling up like a fresh burn. Gordon tugged his leg free and tried to look at the damage himself but he was trembling from head to toe and had the sudden urge to throw up. He leaned away from his brothers and retched, the trembling only increasing as he did so.

"Jellyfish," Virgil mumbled as he rubbed Gordon's back gently with his large hands, "Looks like a pretty big one too."

Scott's nose curled up at the sight, "What can we do to treat it?"

"It should go down by itself, looks like it's not too serious." Virgil's eyes suddenly darkened and a wide grin spread across his face, "There is _one_ thing I've heard, though."

A realisation seemed to dawn on Gordon and he was suddenly scrambling backwards away from his raven-haired brother, slight fear in his eyes.

"No way! You stay away!"

Scott looked bewildered as Virgil got to his feet and started to stride towards the injured blonde.

"What is it? What're you doing, Virg'?"

"Scott!" Gordon's wide eyes were pleading, "You keep him away from me!"

The eldest raised his hands in surrender, "I have no idea what's going on!"

Gordon dragged himself further away but his head was throbbing and he still felt nauseous, "Stay away from me, Virgil! I mean it!"

"Come on, Gordo," Virgil smirked as he loomed over the Squid, "I read that it's supposed to help!"

Blonde hair flipped side to side as Gordon shook his head vigorously, "No, thank you! There is no way in _hell_ that you are peeing on me!"


End file.
